A group of employees from a major Chiswick-based company are celebrating their success in building a new vegetable garden for local schoolchildren within Chiswick House - and are inviting volunteers to join them for their next project on 27th November.

The year’s heaviest frost coincided with the first ever “corporate dig” in Chiswick House Kitchen Garden. A multinational group of ten from Turner Broadcasting (the company behind Cartoon Network, CNN and TCM) arrived at the seventeenth century garden. Their mission (should they choose to accept it): to shift tonnes of gravel to create a new bed for schoolchildren to plant vegetables in the spring. They chose to accept it.

During the next few hours coats were shed as the team stripped to T-shirts and worked so hard that they didn’t notice the freezing temperatures. The gravel was shovelled and barrowed off the bed to form a new path that will make access easier for buggies and wheelchairs at the next Open Day in spring. ‘It was back-breaking’, said Hannah Green, ‘But very rewarding’ added Katie Goodrum. The event formed part of Turner’s programme of corporate social responsibility. ‘It made us feel like a real team, and it was great fun,’ commented Vanessa Cutt. ‘Though the gravel did seem to get heavier and heavier.’

After the event the group adjourned for lunch feeling they had fulfilled the mission, cleared the bed, had fun, and worked well as a team. Jennifer Burgos said, ‘It was really good having a clear target, and achieving it, and doing something useful. I’m going to ache tomorrow though… ’

Any local companies wanting to participate should email info@kitchengarden.org.uk to discuss
their requirements. The next open public dig is this Sunday 27 November, 1-4.30pm